January 2012

How much wall space does a Hideaway need?

Q: I've ordered a Hideaway pocket door system today, but before it arrives tomorrow I need to know how much space to leave in my wall for the whole thing to fit in? A: You need to allow 2 x (door width) + 1 inch.

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What sliding door goes seamlessly back into the wall?

From this description, it sounds as if you're looking for a pocket door system, where the door slides back into a cavity in the stud walling like this photo?  We supply two different basic designs of pocket doors - the Hideaway and the iMpero.  You can have a look at them on our website at the following links:-  A 700mm wide door would be the H30 Hideaway kit, or one of the standard iMpero kits (original, architrave-free etc.)

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Can I replace this Exidor 285 rebated double door panic hardware?

This photo shows an obsolete Exidor 285 push bar for double rebated fire escape doors.  The obvious identifying feature is the offset touching push bars, angled at the conjunction.  To replace a set like this, order our Exidor 296-4, which comes with the appropriate keep for rebated double doors.

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I am looking for interior door locks for the doors in my house to help control room access to my autistic son. Can you advise me please?

We can suggest using "keyed alike" 3 lever locks on your internal doors - this would mean you would only need to carry around one key and it would operate all the locks (although they come with 2 keys each, the keys are all the same).  You may want to look at compatible door handles and escutcheons for each door too.   Order by telephone only, as you won't find keyed alike 3 lever locks on the website.

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Your frameless glass pull handles, can they be used on 6mm thick glass/polycarbonate?

They are suitable only for glass (or polycarbonate) of 8, 10 or 12mm thickness, or somewhere in between, and would not tighten enough to use on 6mm thickness.

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What are the dimensions of the Exidor 297 push pad?

The Exidor 297 is 159mm tall x 55mm wide x 80mm projecting.  You can see dimensioned diagrams, plus loads of other info on the pdf at this link (pdf's towards the bottom of the page).

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I need to fit a door closer on my shop door. Our location is close to the sea in Cornwall and the door in question is facing the sea so the wind is an issue. The closer does not need to be so strong that customers think we are closed but I do need the door to close automatically behind them. When the door opens it goes back against a wall. Please advise!

The door closer we would recommend for your scenario would be the Geze TS4000.  It is fully adjustable in power size, so you'll be able to set it up to operate exactly as you want it, and it's easy to do - so you can personally set it to high power during windy spells and reduce the power when it's calmer (watch the featured video for info on setting the power).  It also has the "back check" feature as standard, which stops the door slamming open onto a wall.

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I am looking for a door closer for our fire door that goes from utility room to the integral garage, currently it operates with a spring loaded device (not adjustable) that slams the door shut with a big bang. Can you recommend a door closer which would close the door without slamming it shut?

An overhead hydraulic door closer would be a good solution for your slamming problem.  For a large fire door (and width is the most important dimension to consider) you might go for a medium to heavy duty door closer like the GEZE TS4000 or the TS2000NV.  For a narrower door; the domestic closers Eurospec F2003 or T2024 would be more economical.  You can read about the special features of each of these door closers by clicking through the links.  As you mention it's in your house, the GEZE door closers I mentioned have the option of upgrading to a matching polished cover & arm (can be brass or stainless steel) which you might want to consider.

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I am looking for some tracking to fit four 30" wardrobe sliding doors. Do you have any, I need it in one length?

With 4 wardrobe doors of 30" width, I estimate you're looking for about 3 metres of track. The SAHECO SF-30 or SAHECO SF-53 would be the best systems - which one will depend upon the weight of the doors, they both come up in a variety of kit / track lengths.  You might go for a three door kit @ 3000mm long, and then buy and extra door pack for the 4th door.  Or we do a four door kit @ 3450mm long, then trim off the unwanted length.

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Could you tell me the hole diameters required through the glass for the back to back guardsman handles 450mm centres x 700mm x 25mm bar?

The bolt is threaded M8, then over that is a plastic sleeve to protect the glass of approximately 2 - 3 mm thickness.  We always advise that you don't drill glass until you have the fasteners in hand, so you can check the exact dimensions yourself.

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In a building in an exposed coastal location, what would be the best hinges for external doors?

The best material to use is a hinge made of brass plated with polished chrome.  Brass is a highly corrosion-resistant material, which is why it's used a lot in boats.  However, it does tarnish and the surface of raw brass will naturally begin to look green and unpleasant over time, without the body of the material being affected.  With a very stable oxide layer of Polished Chrome on top of the brass you can be confident that neither corrosion nor tarnishing will take place on the hinge.

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The TS1500 door closer is what we seem keen on for our door pictured on my Flickr page, though I'm a little worried it will be an eyesore:-

Thanks for that flickr link.  A TS1500 is a good choice and can be dressed up with a matching cover & arm in polished brass for example.  Having a close look at the photo, we would like to suggest perhaps fitting the closer in the "Figure 66" position on the other side of the door.  This is because there is not very much space between the door and the wall (where the African head is) so the door will not open to 90°.  Also the top rail of the door is not very deep.  You can see what we mean by "Figure 66" by looking at this page link.

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I need to replace some Exidor panic hardware on double uPVC doors in our school. It needs to be 5 point locking for extra security and one side has horizontal pullman catches.

From your description, I believe your doors are set up like the illustration below, contact us to specify & quote this combination of Exidor 500 series components.

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Would the T2024 door closer be OK for a light (1" thick) pine bedroom door?

General door closers usually come in fixed power size 3, which ensures they are strong enough to meet fire regulations for closing large fire doors up to about 900mm wide.  If this is the type you've previously fitted, then the fixed power size is your problem - this makes them too strong for children and less-abled people to push open.  The T2024 is adjustable by template down to power size 2, which will definitely be an improvement.  More expensive options would be the (larger bodied) TS4000 which is adjustable down to power size 1, or the (smaller bodied) TS3000B cam action guide rail door closer, which opens easily and works in a more efficient way.

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I want a panic push bar for a single timber door, but we also require to gain access from the outside using a lock with key. What do you recommend?

Depending on the answer to this question; Do you want the door to lock behind you, after you've entered with the key OR do you want to have to re-lock it with the key?  If you want it lock automatically, then we'd recommend an Exidor 305 mortice operator, which comes with a euro cylinder & escutcheon for the outside.  If you want to re-lock it with the key, we'd recommend the Exidor 296 push bar and an Exidor 302EC outside access device.

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I'm planning to fit 3 sliding-folding doors to break up a through room. Full height internal wooden doors up to 40mm thickness with glass panels, can you recomend a door kit or the parts required?

Probably the best solution is the Foldaside 240 system You could use either the hinges or pivoted systems but the hinged system requires the first door (the one attached to the frame) to be 29mm plus half the door thickness shorter than the other doors. If you already have equal width doors you would need to go for the pivoted system.

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Do I need door stops for a pocket door system, or are they included in the kit?

Our iMpero pocket door system DOES come with stops in the track, so that's how you control the door on maximum opening.  And the Hideaway pocket door kit comes with a rubber buffer which you attach to the back of the door.

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Do you supply the BRITON 2000 range door closers?

Yes, we supply a range of Briton door closers including the Briton 2000 range.  The range includes the heavy duty guide rail Briton 2700, the UK's most popular door closer the Briton 2003, and the great value Briton 121CE.

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I have a dog that lets itself in through an external door. Is there a door closer that I could easily activate in winter (when I would like the door to close after the dog comes in) but which could be set to leave the door free in summer?

There are two ways of tackling this, depending on your budget.  The "deluxe" solution would be to use an electro-magnetic door closer (the Geze TS4000 EFS) with a PSU, the current to which would be switched ON in summer, so the door can free swing.  In winter you switch the power OFF and the door closer will operate to close the door after use.  The "economy" solution would be to go for a standard domestic overhead door closer, like the Eurospec F2003 (or have a look at our special offers page) and then when summer comes around simply remove the arm from the closer, replacing it in the winter when you want the unit to work.

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Can I buy spare parts for Exidor panic hardware, particularly I'm looking for shoot tubes in polished brass finish?

You can buy almost any spare part to refurbish your Exidor panic hardware.  The polished brass and some other finishes will be plated to order, so allow about 14 - 21 days for delivery.

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I'm looking for door closers for a pair of two-way swing doors. Floor springs are one option, but is there another option that would prevent free swinging but return the doors to the closed position? The doors are internal church ones, oak with glass panels, not very wide or heavy.

I think you may be right that floor spring door closers (e.g. Geze TS500 NV) would probably be the best option for your double action doors.  The only other possibility is a concealed closer (e.g. The Geze Boxer) fitted into the head of the door, but you'd need to check there was enough thickness & depth of wood there to fit it.  It also need to be fitted professionally, so it may not work out much less expensive.